All Forum Posts by: Heather Miner

Hi @Adam Craig, I would not paint woodwork in good condition. It's a little hard to tell from the pics, but if the windows are in good shape, I would leave them as stained. Perhaps a little elbow grease to make them shine. You can have white baseboards with stained windows. The bathroom looks outdated anyway, so just painting the baseboards (if they need it) will make the bathroom feel cleaner. Also, your door frames have a lot of nooks and crannies - it's hard to make paint look good on those. And, painting over stain requires more prep.

If it were me, I would look at recent sold houses (zillow, filter by sold) in your neighborhood and see what renovations/upgrades neighbors have done. I try to aim for the middle - I don't want to be the best nor the worst in the neighborhood. 

I put up heavy-duty drapery rods with cheap grommeted curtains. I hate trashing mini blinds every 1-2 years - trying to be a good human. I use upgraded drywall anchors (rated 50 lbs), rods that are 1" in diameter, and then pick up grommeted 84" or 96" curtains/drapes from a local charity shop or amazon. These are easy to wash and the tenant can swap them out if they prefer a different color. A slightly higher initial investment means I'm not trashing and replacing mini blinds constantly. And, my lower-income places show A LOT better than the competition. :)

On our first deal, we gifted our agent a bottle of wine. He "invested" in us newbies and we've been loyal ever since. (Of course, he is exceptional and earned our loyalty . . . we don't remain loyal out of guilt. :))

I'm considering this as well . . . for a rental 4 hours away. The unit is equipped with a smartlock (Schlage EnCode). Any updates on your experiences? 

@Michael P. Thanks for the link! The SSVF explanation really helped. 

@Wilmer Barrera Is your rental in the Denver area? If so, I recommend contacting Springman, Braden, Wilson, and Pontius (https://www.sbwp-law.com/). They are the McDonalds of eviction lawyers; we've been clients for 5-6 years. I say that with respect; they know how to get most evictions done quickly for a small fee (a few hundred bucks). They may do a short initial consultation and then charge a small upfront flat fee (again, a few hundred bucks?) to become their client - well worth it.

I don't believe you can oust a tenant solely for non-payment per Governor Polis's remarks on April 30th; so you may be stuck with them for the foreseeable future. But, SBWP will help you navigate whether you should post a notice (10 days) and other recommended steps to move forward.

On a related note, did you see that we have to notify tenants about the CARES Act in writing? I haven't delved into the details yet but I have it on my radar for this week's landlord tasks. :)

We have a prospective tenant for our vacant unit that is enrolled in the SSFV program. We are very familiar with Section 8 but have zero experience with SSVF. How are these programs similar/different? Do you have good experience with the SSVF program? Any suggestions or recommendations? 

We plan to do our normal full screening with the typical leeway offered to Section 8 tenants (i.e., lower standards for income). 

Thanks in advance for sharing your experience and expertise!

Add Vectra Bank to the list of HELOC lenders on a rental. I think the LTV was 70% for ours.

@Dan V. Thanks for sharing. I'm not one of the cool kids that have access to the beta version . . . but I'm glad it's making significant progress. It would definitely help manage different late fee schedules.

Thanks @Mitch Messer and @Rico D Williams ! Your insight and experience are appreciated. And, yes, most tenants pay via QuickBooks Online invoices, so accounting for the ACH delay is another vote for moving the rent due date. 

You want to be first in line to get paid, not competing for 10th place with groceries and beer as the month wears on!

exactly!!!